Philharmonia/Saraste

Friday 17 April 2009 19.01 EDT
First published on Friday 17 April 2009 19.01 EDT

Rachmaninov got the inspiration for his 1909 tone poem The Isle of the Dead from a print of Arnold Böcklin's painting of the same name. But where Böcklin's painting is a blanched depiction of the mystery of death, Rachmaninov's work plunges fatalistically forward into the darkness in an increasingly storm-tossed barcarolle, before collapsing into the composer's recurrent preoccupation with the Dies Irae chant. For a conductor, the challenge is to shape this masterly piece so that the return of the plunging rhythm at the end feels inexorable rather than anticlimactic. Jukka-Pekka Saraste achieved exactly that.

Rachmaninov's second piano concerto starts in the same relentless minor-key mood. But at heart this famous work is a celebration of the composer's own dazzling pianism, and above all his matchless ability to combine keyboard weight and lightness at often hair-raising speed. Nikolai Lugansky was equal to the challenge in every way. Lugansky's ability to articulate Rachmaninov's complex passage-work with the same clarity and colour as the soloist's more spotlit moments made this a hugely impressive and satisfying rendering, much enhanced by Saraste's skilled restraint with the orchestra.

Saraste's keen ear for balance and dynamics were also to the fore in his razor-sharp performance of Stravinsky's 1945 version of his Firebird suite. The lovely fluidity of the basses in the dark prelude signalled a Firebird whose emphasis was always balletic and quicksilver. Even in this early and showy work, Saraste was keen to remind us, Stravinsky never wastes a note. Nigel Black's horn took pride of place in some terrific wind playing, but it was the sheen of the strings that impressed most of all. The Philharmonia is certainly a treat to hear these days.